Why Do You Buy?

Its a combination of things. For me...I stick with what genre's I like...shooters, fighters and the occasional puzzle/rpg. Occasionally I'll try something different if it has high reviews or alot of my close friends highly recommend it. But it's mostly a personal taste. I try not to buy into gaming hype machines...but depending on the game I'll get pulled in occasionally. You can ask anyone on the site that Gears of War gave me an uber stiffy of epic proportions for the longest time. But other than that I just watch gameplay vids and then buy based on what I can afford that month, and how its reviewed by the people I trust.

I buy games because I want them. I hate renting games because usually there is no manual, the discs are scratched or worse and I do not often rush a game, I like to go back and do things differently if I can. I bought LAIR because it was a dragon game and I knew its low reviews were justified.. I bought Heavenly Sword because it was a cool game, even tho I knew it was very short (VERY).. I own 3 copies of Half Life 2 (xbox, PC and Orange Box). Main reason was my PC couldnt handle HL2, so I got the xbox version, then I bought a kick ass PC, and with the Orange Box, because I prefer FPS on consoles over PC. If I am interested in a game I get it.. usually by Genre or if it is a series I like. I will be getting Call of Duty 4, not for the MP, but because I liked the previous 3 games SP. I will be getting SoF because I love that series.. Never buy games on hype or anything. If I want it

A little of both...I stick to the genres I like first off. So no matter how awesome a racer or fighter is, I won't be playing it. And then I try to pay attention to a number of sources to decide from there. And then sometimes, there are gems, that I just know will appeal to my personal taste that the media passes over...Like Viva Pinata. I literally had been watching that game at least a year before it released because I just loved the concept.

I stick to games that I think are going to be a cost-effective form of entertainment for me (i.e. ones that I'll be playing for a hundred hours plus). When you think about it, gaming can be a pretty cheap form of entertainment if you stick to the right games with high replay value. Since July, I've played nothing but Forza 2 and H3. I've put well over 100 hours into Forza and I'm headed that direction with H3. I can't justify spending 60+ dollars on a game that I'll only play for fifteen hours. If I'm really interested in a short game, I'm patient enough to wait until there's a significant price drop. I know it's a very utilitarian way to look at things, but it works for me. Good post, btw. It'll be interesting to read people's answers.

I'll buy anything if it gets decent reviews. I get bored playing any one type of game for too long and i'm far more likely to get hooked on an original and different game like Viva Pinata than a standard shooter like Halo--no matter how good it is. I'm not saying I don't like Halo--just that for me Halo will be more of a slow burn, as opposed to the crack that is Viva Pinata or Katamari. It's not very often that I am disappointed with a game, because I check reviews beforehand. So even if it's a bad game that I want to play for whatever reason, I can't say I didn't expect that going into the game. My attention span is way too short. The number of unfinished games in my collection far, far outweighs the finished ones. But I'll always go back and play the older stuff when there's a game drought on.

I get things in my genre (RPGs). I look at the reviews and go based onthat. The one time I ignored bad reviews I was so dissappointed. It was Two Worlds. I thought people were exaggerating, and I really wanted to try a multiplayer game. I got Halo 3 after renting it and having fun with people on line.

i buy some games because i want them but i mainly buy games that people on my friends list are playing. it is that much more enjoyable playing online with people that i actually like.